;)
The Commentariat -- October 13, 2019
Afternoon Update:
Complete Capitulation. Julian Barnes & Eric Schmitt of the New York Times: "Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper said Sunday that President Trump ordered a withdrawal of American forces from northern Syria, a decision that will effectively cede control of the area to the Syrian government and Russia, and could allow a resurgence of the Islamic State. Mr. Esper, appearing on both Fox News and CBS News, said that American troops, mostly Special Operations forces, would move south but not leave the country in the face of Turkey's incursion into the section of Syria controlled by Kurdish forces, a group of fighters trained and backed by the United States government. The Pentagon has slow-walked previous orders by Mr. Trump to evacuate from Syria, to protect its Kurdish partners and hold the ground it took back from the Islamic State. But Mr. Esper's comments Sunday indicated that this time Mr. Trump's drawdown order was being acted on with haste.... Mr. Esper said the Pentagon expected Turkish forces to annex even more territory than originally estimated." This is confirmation of reports linked below. ~~~
~~~ Humeyra Pamuk of Reuters: "The United States is looking into reports that a Kurdish politician and captured Kurdish fighters were killed in northeastern Syria amid Turkey's offensive, a State Department spokesman told Reuters on Sunday, adding that Washington found the reports disturbing.... 'We find these reports to be extremely troubling, reflecting the overall destabilization of northeast Syria since the commencement of hostilities on Tuesday,' the spokesman said in an email." ~~~
~~~ Eric Schmitt, et al., of the New York Times: "... with the White House revoking protection for these Kurdish fighters, some of the Special Forces officers who battled alongside the Kurds say they feel deep remorse at orders to abandon their allies. 'They trusted us and we broke that trust,' one Army officer who has worked alongside the Kurds in northern Syria said last week in a telephone interview. 'It's a stain on the American conscience.' 'I'm ashamed,' said another officer who had also served in northern Syria. And the response from the Kurds themselves was just as stark. 'The worst thing in military logic and comrades in the trench is betrayal,' said Shervan Darwish, an official allied with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces.... As the Americans pulled back, the Kurds moved north to try to reinforce their comrades fighting the offensive. The American soldiers could only watch from their sandbag-lined walls. Orders from Washington were simple: Hands off. Let the Kurds fight for themselves. The orders contradicted the American military's strategy in Syria over the past four years, especially when it came to the Kurdish fighters, known as the Y.P.G., who were integral to routing the Islamic State from northeastern Syria." ~~~
~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: Looks as if Trump is getting worried about Republican support. Shortly after patting himself on the back for his "very smart" move greenlighting Turkey's assault on Kurdish regions, he tweeted this: "Dealing with @LindseyGrahamSC and many members of Congress, including Democrats, about imposing powerful Sanctions on Turkey. Treasury is ready to go, additional legislation may be sought. There is great consensus on this. Turkey has asked that it not be done. Stay tuned!" ~~~
~~~ Carlotta Gall & Patrick Kingsley of the New York Times: "Hundreds of relatives of Islamic State fighters fled a Kurdish-run detention camp on Sunday morning after Turkish airstrikes hit the surrounding area, deepening the crisis prompted by the Turkish-led invasion of northern Syria. The escapes came hours before the United States military said it would withdraw its remaining troops from northern Syria in the coming weeks, despite a likely resurgence of the Islamic State amid chaotic efforts by Turkish-led troops to wrest the region from Kurdish control. A Kurdish official also said that the flag of the Islamic State, also known as ISIS, had been raised in the countryside between the camp in the Kurdish-held town of Ain Issa and the Turkish border, another indication of how the Kurdish authorities were losing control of a region they had freed from the extremists only months ago." This is confirmation of reports linked below.
Joshua Posaner of Politico: "Turkey's military offensive in Syria threatens to destabilize the region and boost ISIS, German Chancellor Angela Merkel told Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in a phone call Sunday. 'The chancellor spoke in favor of an immediate end to the military operation,' said ... a spokesperson for Merkel, adding that the Turkish leader had requested the call. The call came after Berlin moved to suspend some arms exports to Turkey on Saturday after Ankara launched an offensive against Kurdish militias in northern Syria last week following ... Donald Trump's withdrawal of troops from the region.... EU foreign ministers are meeting early this week ahead of a summit of heads of state, with both sessions set to address the situation in Syria."
Aaron Blake of the Washington Post: "Ever since former U.S. special envoy to Ukraine Kurt Volker handed over those text messages, President Trump's defenders have pointed to one of them as supposedly exonerating Trump. 'Bill, I believe you are incorrect about President Trump's intentions,' Gordon Sondland, the U.S. ambassador to the European Union, told another diplomat. 'The President has been crystal clear no quid pro quo's [sic] of any kind.' This text has been a linchpin of the Trump Ukraine defense. But on Saturday night, the linchpin broke.... Sondland will ... indicate that he was merely relaying Trump's defense, which he had discussed with the president on a phone call before the text message[.]... This is remarkable stuff, especially considering that Sondland, unlike the two diplomats he was conversing with in those text messages, was a big-time Trump donor.... Sondland's impending testimony sounds like that of a man covering his own backside and knowing his apparent defense of Trump could quickly fall apart upon further examination."
Nahal Toosi of Politico: "Current and former career U.S. diplomats say Trump has handed far too many ambassadorial posts to unqualified candidates, many of whom were political donors with thin diplomatic resumes and little respect for the U.S. Foreign Service. Some say it's time to rethink, if not cap or outright bar, political appointments for ambassadorships. 'It is out of whack under Trump,' said Dana Shell Smith, a former career Foreign Service officer who served as the U.S. ambassador to Qatar. 'These ambassadorships are being seen as the spoils, as opposed to being very serious jobs that act in the interest of the country.' Most modern presidents have given roughly 30 percent of U.S. ambassador postings to political appointees, with the rest drawn from career government ranks.... As of now, nearly 45 percent of his ambassador picks -- people who have been confirmed or are awaiting confirmation -- are political appointees, one database shows.&"
Allan Smith of NBC News: "Sen. Ted Cruz said Sunday that it was wrong for ... Donald Trump to call on China to probe former Vice President Joe Biden and his son in the Texas Republican's most direct rebuke of the president yet. Asked on CBS's 'Face the Nation' whether Trump's comments were 'appropriate,' Cruz said 'of course not. Elections in the U.S. should be decided by Americans and it's not the business of foreign countries, any foreign countries, to be interfering in our elections,' he said.... Host Margaret Brennan then asked if it was improper for Trump to ask Ukraine to probe the Bidens.... 'Listen, foreign countries should stay out of American elections,' Cruz said. 'That's true for Russia. That's true for Ukraine. That's true for China. That's true for all of them. It should be the American people deciding elections....'... Cruz added that it would make 'sense for [Rudy] Giuliani to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., has already invited Giuliani to do so."
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This Is Not Going Well
Mark Esper Today. Emily Tillett & Margaret Brennan of CBS News: "The U.S. is 'preparing to evacuate' about 1,000 U.S. troops from northern Syria 'as safely and quickly as possible,' Defense Secretary Mark Esper told 'Face the Nation' in an interview airing Sunday.... 'In the last 24 hours, we learned that [the Turks] likely intend to extend their attack further south than originally planned, and to the west,' Esper said. 'We also have learned in the last 24 hours that the ... SDF are looking to cut a deal, if you will, with the Syrians and the Russians to counterattack against the Turks in the north.' Esper told 'Face the Nation' the troops remaining in the country were caught between Turkish forces and the SDF..... 'So I spoke with the president last night, after discussions with the rest of the national security team, and he directed that we begin a deliberate withdrawal of [all] forces from northern Syria.'" ~~~
~~~ Mark Esper Friday. Robert Burns & Lolita Baldor of the AP: "Top Pentagon officials on Friday denied the U.S. is abandoning its Syrian Kurdish allies in the face of a Turkish military offensive, although the future of a counterterrorism partnership with the Kurds was in grave doubt. 'We have not abandoned the Kurds. Let me be clear about that,' Defense Secretary Mark Esper told reporters. 'We have not abandoned them. Nobody green-lighted this operation by Turkey -- just the opposite. We pushed back very hard at all levels for the Turks not to commence this operation.'" Emphasis added. ~~~
~~~ Liz Sly & Louisa Loveluck of the Washington Post: "U.S. troops withdrew on Sunday from another town in Syria as Turkish-backed forces pushed deeper inside Syrian territory, seizing positions along a major highway that serves as the U.S. military's main supply route into Syria -- potentially cutting off U.S. troops further west, according to a U.S. official. The withdrawal came amid reports that hundreds of Islamic State supporters may have escaped from a camp housing displaced people in the town of Ain Issa, taking advantage of the mayhem that ensued as Turkish artillery pounded the area. The Kurdish administration in northeastern Syria said in a statement that 785 people affiliated to the Islamic State were among those who got away, escaping from a camp that had housed 12,000 displaced people, mostly women and children. Around a thousand of those who had been identified as Islamic State supporters, including foreigners, were housed in a separate section of the camp known as the Annex, which is now 'completely empty,' according to an aid worker...." ~~~
~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: MEANWHLE: Trump is unconcerned: "Others may want to come in and fight for one side or the other. Let them!" he tweeted, in part, this morning. AND: "Very smart not to be involved in the intense fighting along the Turkish Border, for a change."
America the Untrustworthy. David Kirkpatrick, et al., of the New York Times: "President Trump's surprise acquiescence to a Turkish incursion into northern Syria this week has shaken American allies, and not just because it was a betrayal of a loyal partner. What alarmed them even more was his sheer unpredictability. His inconsistent and rapidly shifting positions in the Middle East have injected a new element of chaos into an already volatile region and have left allies guessing where the United States stands and for how long.... His decision to get out of the way of the Turkish incursion ... was just the latest in a series of flip-flops in American policy in the region, including two in Syria this year alone.... Critics say that Mr. Trump’s zigzagging policies have emboldened regional foes, unnerved American partners, and invited Russia and various regional players to seek to exert their influence."
Martin Chulov & Mohammed Rasool of the Guardian & Agencies: "Turkish-backed proxies leading a ground offensive on Kurdish-held border towns in north-eastern Syria have killed nine civilians including a female politician, a human rights monitor has claimed. The civilians were executed on a highway after being taken for their cars by Turkish-backed militias who had crossed the border as the push into Syria deepened. The killings were captured on camera phones and the gruesome scenes have raised the spectre of ethnic bloodletting emerging five days into the Turkish offensive. Ankara's proxies are Syrian Arabs from elsewhere in the country and their foes are Kurdish with long ties to the territory." See also NYT report linked next re: these murders. Thanks to Hattie for the link.
Ben Hubbard, et al., of the New York Times: "Turkish-backed Syrian Arab fighters killed at least two Kurdish prisoners on Saturday, one of them lying on the ground with his hands bound behind his back, in a powerful illustration of the forces unleashed by President Trump's decision to pull back American troops shielding former Kurdish allies in northern Syria. A video that captured one of the killings shows two of the Turkish-backed group's fighters firing bullets at close range into the man with his hands tied while their colleagues shout 'God is great!'... The killing of two Kurdish captives by Arab fighters -- a possible war crime -- is an indication of the ethnically tinged hatreds flaring in the wake of President Trump's pullback of American forces in the area.... On Saturday, Turkey and its allied Syrian fighters established a foothold in a strategic Syrian border town, Ras al-Ain, and were gathering to launch an offensive against another, Tel Abyad, according to the Turkish Defense Ministry and a spokesman for the Turkish-backed fighters. The new hostilities have displaced at least 100,000 people and ignited fears that tens of thousands of ISIS fighters and their relatives held by the Kurds could escape their camps and prisons." ~~~
~~~ Mrs. Bea McCrabbie: According to the report, it isn't clear whether the two prisoners were among the nine murdered civilians also cited in the Guardian's report above, but the fact that the Times says one of the two people was "uniformed" suggests these were separate murders. BTW, how much do you think Trump asked Erdogan about his collaboration with these Syrian Arab forces, and exactly what demands did Trump make of Erdogan regarding the control of prisons housing ISIS members & their families before Trump gave Erdogan the go ahead? What other conditions did Trump place on his green light? Oh, none? Also, what-all did Pompeo & Esper do to push back against Trump's green light? We know they didn't resign, as Jim Mattis did after Trump announced a troop pullout late last year (before backing down). And where the hell are our NATO allies?
Dan Lamothe of the Washington Post: "Turkish forces who launched multiple artillery rounds near a U.S. Special Operations outpost in northeastern Syria on Friday have known for months that Americans were there, according to four current and former U.S. officials, raising questions whether Turkey is trying to push American troops farther from the border.... The situation, first reported by Newsweek, was more serious than characterized Friday, several officials said, speaking on the condition of anonymity.... One Army officer ... said that multiple rounds of 155mm fire were launched from Turkey's side of the border and that they had a 'bracketing effect' in which shells landed on both sides of the U.S. outpost.... The officer said that Turkey knew there were Americans on the hill and that it had to be deliberate. The service members vacated the outpost after the incident but returned on Saturday, according to a U.S. official and images circulating on social media." ~~~
~~~ See also the Common Dreams story republished in the Raw Story. Update: NBC News has a story here. ~~~
~~~ Juan Cole: "The fire was so intense that the US military seriously considered firing back, a step that could have provoked an unprecedented firefight between two NATO armies."
Barbara Starr & Ryan Browne of CNN: "The commander of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces told a senior US diplomat, 'You are leaving us to be slaughtered," demanding to know whether the US is going to do anything to protect Syrian Kurds as Turkey continues its military operation targeting America's Kurdish allies in Syria. You have given up on us. You are leaving us to be slaughtered,' Gen. Mazloum Kobani Abdi told the Deputy Special Envoy to the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS, William Roebuck, in a meeting Thursday, according to an internal US government readout that has been obtained exclusively by CNN. 'You are not willing to protect the people, but you do not want another force to come and protect us. You have sold us. This is immoral,' Mazloum added." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Christian Vasquez of Politico: "Former Defense Secretary James Mattis said ISIS 'will resurge' in Syria, in his first public comments following ... Donald Trump's withdrawal of troops from the region. 'I think Secretary of State Pompeo, the intelligence services, the foreign countries that are working with us have it about right that ISIS is not defeated. We have got to keep the pressure on ISIS so they don't recover,' Mattis said in an interview on NBC News' 'Meet the Press' set to air Sunday.... '... If we don't keep the pressure on then ISIS will resurge. It's, it's absolutely a given that they will come back,' Mattis continued.... 'The Endless Wars Must End!' Trump tweeted Saturday afternoon."
Trump, Inc. -- the Criminal Enterprise, Ctd.
Aaron Davis & John Hudson of the Washington Post: "The U.S. ambassador to the European Union, Gordon Sondland, intends to tell Congress this week that the content of a text message he wrote denying quid pro quo with Ukraine was relayed to him directly by President Trump in a phone call, according to a person familiar with his testimony. Sondland plans to tell lawmakers he has no knowledge of whether the president was telling him the truth at that moment. 'It's only true that the president said it, not that it was the truth,' said the person familiar with Sondland's planned testimony, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.... The White House and its defenders have held up Sondland's text, which included 'no quid pro quo's of any kind' [in a September 9 text exchange,] as proof that none was ever considered.... Sondland is expected to say that for months before the Sept. 9 message, he worked at the direction of Rudolph W. Giuliani ... to secure what he would call in another text message the' deliverable' sought by Trump: a public statement from Ukraine that it would investigate corruption, including mentioning Burisma, a Ukrainian energy company, by name. In exchange for the statement, the president would grant Ukraine's new president a coveted White House audience.... Sondland appears poised to say that he and other diplomats did not know that the request to mention Burisma was really an effort to impugn the reputations of Biden and his son Hunter, who had served as a Burisma board member.... To trust Sondland's testimony, members of Congress will have to believe Sondland had not seen televised appearances by Giuliani over the spring and summer, or numerous newspaper and magazine articles questioning whether Hunter Biden's role at Burisma could prove to be a drag on his father's presidential campaign." ~~~
~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: This sounds like CYA testimony that could get Sondland fired. Also a perjury rap: Bill Taylor texts Sondland on Sept. 1: "Are we now saying that security assistance and WH meeting are conditioned on investigations?" Sondland's response: "Call me." On Sept. 8, Sondland texts Taylor again saying he had "multiple conversations" with Trump & Zelensky & wants to talk with Taylor. Taylor texts back, "Now is fine." Later that days Taylor texts Kurt Volker, confirming he has talked with Sondland. The next day, Sept. 9, Taylor texts Sondland, "As I said on the phone, I think it's crazy to withhold security assistance for help with a political campaign." According to the WashPo report, "Sondland contends that he didn't know about the Biden connection [to Burisma] until a whistleblower complaint and transcript surfaced in late September." That would mean that it the phone discussions Sondland had with Taylor, Taylor never mentioned that the purpose of investigating "Burisma" was to collect dirt on Biden, which seems to be what Taylor mean by "help with a political campaign." Sondland, who is apparently prepared to testify that he was working "at the direction of" Giuliani, then also is claiming Giuliani never mentioned the Bidens to Sondland, either, even as Giuliani was going on the teevee smearing them. Perhaps Sondland had his planned testimony leaked to the Post so reporters would help him clean up the gaping holes in his cover story. ~~~
~~~ David Atkins in the Washington Monthly: "So it turns out that when Trump tweeted this: '... Importantly, Ambassador Sondland's tweet, which few report, stated, "I believe you are incorrect about President Trump's intentions. The President has been crystal clear: no quid pro quo's of any kind." That says it ALL!' He was apparently quoting himself having told Sondland what to say. This is the sort of comical coverup one only engages in either under desperation or a belief that no public accounting of your crimes will ever be made under oath." ~~~
~~~ David Graham of the Atlantic: "... the fact that State Department employees are testifying shows that the White House's total-obstruction strategy doesn't work as well when the players aren't sycophants like [Corey] Lewandowski who are willing to buy the claims of executive shield. It is, after all, a privilege and not a right." ~~~
~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: Although I think Trump's behavior as outlined in the Mueller report were grounds for impeachment, the reaction of State Department & other agency personnel to the Ukraine conspiracy shows that -- for many people -- Ukraine was a bridge too far. The public's reactions back that up. Apparently people are not nearly as offended by obstruction as they are by the crimes underlying obstruction. Perhaps they see stonewalling as more of a political act but selling out the U.S. as treasonous. I don't agree with that, but it's not a nutty distinction to make.
Ken Vogel & Maggie Haberman of the New York Times: "President Trump had lunch on Saturday with Rudolph W. Giuliani amid revelations that prosecutors were investigating Mr. Giuliani for possible lobbying violations, and speculation that his position as the president's personal lawyer was in jeopardy. The lunch, at Mr. Trump's golf course in Sterling, Va., was among several shows of the president's support for Mr. Giuliani on Saturday. They seemed meant to tamp down questions about Mr. Giuliani's status with a client famous for distancing himself from advisers when they encounter legal problems of their own. Mr. Trump, during a Saturday night appearance on Fox News, called Mr. Giuliani 'a great gentleman' and said he is still his lawyer. 'I know nothing about him being under investigation. I can't imagine it,' he told the host Jeanine Pirro.... It is not clear what was discussed at the lunch. The lunch is unlikely to end speculation over whether the president will ultimately consider Mr. Giuliani a liability." ~~~
~~~ John Hudson of the Washington Post: "President Trump defended his personal attorney Rudolph W. Giuliani on Saturday amid reports that federal prosecutors are investigating whether the former New York City mayor broke lobbying laws in his efforts to oust the former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yavonovitch. 'So now they are after the legendary "crime buster" and greatest Mayor in the history of NYC, Rudy Giuliani,' Trump tweeted. 'He may seem a little rough around the edges sometimes, but he is also a great guy and wonderful lawyer.' In defending Giuliani, Trump revived one of his recurring conspiracy theories that a 'Deep State' of entrenched bureaucrats and law enforcement officers are continuing to undermine him and his associates. 'Such a one sided Witch Hunt going on in USA. Deep State. Shameful!' he said." The Hill's story is here. Mrs McC: Trump calling anybody "a little rough around the edges" is a joke. Update: Trump's describing Giuliani as "a great gentleman" is laughable. Obviously, neither knows the meaning of the word. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Some people in Twitterland are unconvinced by Trump's stand-by-your-man pose.
** Michelle Goldberg of the New York Times: "In [Rudy] Giuliani's fevered alternative reality, Ukraine's most stalwart foes of corruption are actually corruption's embodiment. Deeply compromised figures with vendettas against the activists -- particularly the ex-prosecutors Viktor Shokin and Yuriy Lutsenko -- are transformed into heroes. This addled, through-the-looking glass fantasy came to drive American foreign policy in Ukraine.... If America can be said to have a foreign policy at this debased stage of the Trump administration, it mostly consists of sucking up to strongmen while betraying everyone who ever believed in America's putative ideals.... Throughout our history, America has committed many sins against democracy around the world, but we used to be on the right side in Ukraine. Not anymore.... We're with the oligarchs now."
I don't know those gentleman.... I don't know, maybe they were clients of Rudy. You'd have to ask Rudy. -- Donald Trump, Thursday, speaking of Lev Parnas & Igor Fruman ~~~
~~~ Ben Schreckinger of Politico: "A photograph of ... Donald Trump posing with [Lev Parnas,] a recently indicted associate of Rudy Giuliani, was posted online in April 2014, two years prior to what had been their first known interaction.... The circumstances of the meeting captured in the photograph remain unclear.... [A Facebook] post [published two weeks earlier] suggests the meeting captured in the photo was not a chance interaction, and that Parnas had discussed his access to Trump [with the owner of the Facebook account]. Trump has sought to distance himself from Parnas, the Florida businessman at the center of a ballooning scandal over illicit foreign influence in his administration and, more broadly, the American political system. But the photograph and post provide further evidence that the two men are more closely tied than Trump has let on." Mrs. McC: There are quite a few people I would say I know, even tho I haven't appeared in any photos with them, much less in multiple photos beginning more than five years ago. ~~~
~~~ "Always Hustling." Rosalind Helderman, et al., of the Washington Post: "... a $50,000 donation to Trump's campaign and the Republican Party, [delivered just after the WashPo published the 'Access Hollywood' tape] ... helped propel [Lev] Parnas and his business partner..., Igor Fruman, on an extraordinarily rapid rise into the upper echelon of Trump allies -- before they became central figures in the presidential impeachment inquiry. By spring 2018, the two men had dined with Trump, breakfasted with his son and attended exclusive events at Mar-a-Lago and the White House, all while jetting around the world and spending lavishly, particularly at Trump hotels in New York and Washington. That May, a pro-Trump super PAC reported receiving a $325,000 donation from an energy company the duo had recently formed.... Parnas and Fruman demonstrated a remarkable facility for capitalizing on their newfound connections.... They also appeared to be constantly in pursuit of new business ventures.... In 2018, they hired ... Rudolph W. Giuliani, to serve as a consultant as they launched a security business -- and then helped Giuliani, in turn, reach Ukrainian officials in his quest to find information damaging to Democrats.... '"We'e best friends with Rudy Giuliani,&"' [Anthony] Scaramucci said the two men told him. "We work with him on everything."'
Deb Riechmann of the AP reports on how presidential and presidential* phone calls with foreign leaders are handled. Here's one part of her report: "One individual with firsthand knowledge of how the Trump calls with foreign leaders are handled said the president 'hates' [customary] 'pre-briefs' and frequently has refused to do them. Trump doesn't like written background materials either, preferring to handle the calls himself, often in the morning from the residence. Occasionally, while on the phone with foreign heads of state, Trump has handed the receiver to his daughter, Ivanka Trump, so she can talk with the leader, according to this individual. The person said a six-page pre-brief with attachments was once prepared for Trump before a call to a foreign leader. But that turned out to be too long, as did a single-page version. Preparing pre-brief note cards that offered about three talking points for Trump to make on a call was the norm.... The individual said that when Trump is done with the note cards, he often rips them up and tosses them in a burn bag. Staff who handle records have had to retrieve the burn bags from the residence, put the papers out on a table and tape them back together to preserve them as official presidential records, this person said." ~~~
~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: So here's a report about Trump's SOP that, besides amply demonstrating that Trump likes to conduct "international diplomacy" by purposely going in stupid, almost casually mentions that it is his practice to violate the Federal Records Act, which requires retention of briefing notes. And that part about putting Ivanka on the phone to chat? Yeesh! "Yo, Recep. Sure, go ahead, attack the Kurds. After all, we paid them too much for defeating ISIS, which they couldn't have done without me. But first my little girl wants to tell you how much she appreciated you dropping by the fantastic Trump Towers Instanbul.... Here, Honey, take the phone. Recep wants to tell you there's nothing like Trump Istanbul anywhere in the world. Be sure to mention the other deals we have going in Turkey."
Justin Wise of the Hill: "President Trump on Saturday night lambasted the House Democrats' impeachment inquiry, saying his administration would look into possibly suing Speaker >Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) over the probe. 'We're going to take a look at it. We're going after these people. These are bad, bad people,' Trump said while speaking at the Values Voter Summit in Washington, D.C. 'I actually told my lawyer, I said sue [Schiff] anyway. I said, even if we lose, the American public will understand,' Trump said.... 'And sue Nancy Pelosi, or maybe we should just impeach them, because they're lying and what they're doing is a terrible thing for our country.' The U.S. Constitution stipulates that members of Congress cannot be impeached." ~~~
~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: Yeah, the U.S. Constitution also specifies that "The House of Representatives ... shall have the sole Power of Impeachment." Trump would have a better case if he sued for not impeaching him sooner. Even Trump acknowledges that what he's threatening is a nuisance lawsuit.
Forgot this one. Brett Samuels of the Hill (Oct. 10): "President Trump on Thursday said former Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.) can't to join his outside legal team for a 'couple months' because of lobbying rules one day after it was announced that Gowdy would serve as his counsel.... 'I think there's a problem with -- he can't start for another couple months because of lobbying rules and regulations,' he added. '... So I don't know. We'll have to see.' Trump's lead personal attorney, Jay Sekulow, said Wednesday night that Gowdy would serve as counsel to the president in response to the House's impeachment inquiry." Mrs. McC: So if you were wondering why the ever-venomous Gowdy wasn't out there making fake accusations, apparently it's an ethics thing. Ironic.
Barbie Nadeau of the Daily Beast: "Joe Biden's son, Hunter Biden, is stepping down from the board of a Chinese-backed private equity company, according to a statement given to Bloomberg. The younger Biden, whose business interests in Ukraine are at the center of Donald Trump's impeachment scandal, also promises to 'forego all foreign work' if his dad is elected president in 2020." Mrs. McC: Surprising, isn't it, that Uday & Qusay haven't done the same, what with their being so upset at Hunter's international exploits.
Mark Stern of Slate: "One of Donald Trump's most controversial judicial nominees unleashed a bizarre and embarrassing dissent on Friday that seeks to shield the president from congressional oversight while flouting Supreme Court precedent. The author of Friday's dissent [in Trump v. Mazars], Neomi Rao, was Trump's choice to fill Brett Kavanaugh's old seat on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Her opinion marks a lawless effort to insert the judiciary into the House of Representatives&' investigations into Trump, limiting lawmakers' ability to access potentially incriminating evidence. It also implies that federal courts could stop the House from impeaching Trump. In short, Rao is running interference for the president who put her on the bench.... [Rao's dissent in the 2-1 ruling], is utterly detached from Supreme Court precedent and instead rooted in a startling and novel conception of presidential power. It rests on the assertion that 'allegations of illegal conduct against the President cannot be investigated by Congress except through impeachment.' According to Rao, impeachment 'provides the exclusive method for Congress to investigate accusations of illegal conduct by impeachable officials.' If the House attempts to probe the president's alleged wrongdoing on any basis other than impeachment, he is insulated from its demands." ~~~
~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: Commonly reports will include, somewhere down the page, that "Judge So-and-So was appointed by Bill Clinton." Some of Dubya's far-right appointees get a little more attention. But what the future holds, no doubt, is commentary on court cases that amounts to dismissing an opinion with, "Oh, well, s/he's a Trump judge." Unfortunately, there are a lot of "Trump judges."
Jonathan Blitzer of the New Yorker paints a nuanced portrait of Kevin McAleenan, the acting Secretary of Homeland Security, who quit that job Friday. But, Blitzer warns, with the "two partisan appointees ... Ken Cuccinelli ... and Mark Morgan ... [who] have been auditioning for [McAleenan's] job ... D.H.S. runs the risk of becoming an overt arm of the Trump reëlection campaign, which is a genuinely frightening prospect.... We'll never know all the outlandish policies McAleenan probably had to avert, redirect, or quietly defuse during his tenure at D.H.S. Now, without him there, we're about to find out."
Jacey Fortin of the New York Times: "Penzeys Spices, a family-owned company in Wauwatosa, spent nearly $92,000 on Facebook advertisements related to impeachment from Sept. 29 to Oct. 5, according to data from a communications agency that tracks political spending.... Penzeys sells spices online and has dozens of brick-and-mortar stores across the United States.... The company's ads aren't subtle. 'This week the curtain href="https://www.facebook.com/Penzeys/posts/10157762425507834">Facebook post on Oct. 3, referring to the impeachment inquiry against Mr. Trump. The same post encouraged readers to sign up for a cooking newsletter." Last week Penzeys was the second biggest spender on Facebook ads related to impeachment; the first was Donald Trump's re-election campaign. Thanks to unwashed for the link. See also commentary in yesterday's thread. You might want to put in an order for "Justice" or "Tsardust Memories."
Presidential Race 2020. Warren Trolls Facebook Fake Ads Policy. Emma Newberger of CNBC: "Elizabeth Warren is buying ads on Facebook that falsely claim Mark Zuckerberg has endorsed ... Donald Trump, in a deliberate ploy that targets Facebook's controversial decision to allow politicians to make false claims in paid advertising.... 'Breaking news: Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook just endorsed Donald Trump for re-election,' the ads reads.... Facebook's own policy exempts ads by politicians from third-party fact-checking. That includes Warren' trolling ad, which includes a disclaimer that says the content isn't true."
Beyond the Beltway
Louisiana. Mark Ballard of the Baton Rouge Advocate: "Republican millionaire Eddie Rispone, making his first bid for public office, edged his way into a Nov. 16 runoff with incumbent Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards. By a margin of about 50,000 votes, Rispone, of Baton Rouge, beat his Republican rival, U.S. Rep. Ralph Abraham, to face off with Edwards, who led the field Saturday night but not by enough to win outright. Edwards garnered 626,000 votes, 47% of the total cast, according to the Secretary of State's complete but unofficial results. Rispone, who spent about $11.5 million -- mostly of his own money -- on the campaign, came in second with 368,318 votes, or 27%, followed by three-term Congressman Abraham ... with 317,115, or 24% of the vote."
Texas. Staying at Home, Minding Your Own Business While Black. Ryan Mac & David Mack of BuzzFeed News: "A black woman was shot and killed by police inside her own home early Saturday morning in Fort Worth, Texas, after her neighbor called a non-emergency police number for a wellness check on her [because the caller noticed her doors were ajar]. Atatiana Koquice Jefferson, 28, was killed in a bedroom at the home at around 2:30 a.m., according to the Tarrant County Medical Examiner.... One officer [who is white], after seeing someone through the window of the home, drew his weapon and fired one shot, killing the woman.... Body camera footage ... [shows] the officer peer[ing] through a window, where he presumably sees a person. He quickly raises his flashlight in one hand, gun in another. 'Put your hands up, show me your hands,' he shouts before firing a shot -- all in less than four seconds. The Forth Worth shooting comes weeks after Amber Guyger, a former cop in neighboring Dallas, was found guilty of murder for fatally shooting her unarmed neighbor in his apartment. Her neighbor, Botham Jean, was a 26-year-old black man from Saint Lucia."
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The Guardian | Agence France-Presse in Beirut
“Pro-Ankara fighters taking part in a Turkish offensive on Kurdish-held border towns in north-eastern Syria have killed at least nine civilians including a female politician, a human rights monitor has said.” . . . “Khalaf, 35, was ‘taken out of her car during a Turkish-backed attack and executed by Turkish-backed mercenary factions’, the political arm of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said in a statement. ‘This is a clear evidence that the Turkish state is continuing its criminal policy towards unarmed civilians.’”
The hand-basket to Hell has officially landed.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/oct/13/female-kurdish-politician-among-nine-civilians-killed-by-pro-turkey-forces-in-syria-observers-say
Oh, where have those days gone when one of our most urgent concerns would be deciding which spice boxes to order for Christmas gifts from Penzeys or everyone talking about the new cat litter even if you don't have a damn cat: 5 ways "Prettylitter" will make you forget you have a litter box". Recall the halcyon days when the worst thing that happened was Fruity Pebbles forgoing their little gifties at the bottom of their boxes.
Forgive me––I'm feeling nostalgic today.
Now that his war criminal buddy Erdogan is murdering innocent civilians, will Big Tough Talking Fatty lower the boom on him by “destroying his economy” and whatever other hyperbolic bullshit he promised to follow through on if the Turks enjoyed anything more than a “nice little war”? Such a simpering braggart. Destroying Istanbul’s economy would impact profits to Trump’s “big beautiful towers”, and after all, he gave the Turks the green light to start murdering America’s allies purely because he makes money with Erdogan and not the Kurds. Articles of impeachment grow by the hour.
And what’s worse than a war criminal? Someone who takes money to look the other way.
"And what’s worse than a war criminal? Someone who takes money to look the other way."
And then lies that they know nothing about it.
"We have not abandoned [the Kurds]. Nobody green-lighted this operation by Turkey — just the opposite. We pushed back very hard at all levels for the Turks not to commence this operation."
This is some big bolus of bullshit they expect us to swallow, from....wait, who? Mike Esper? Who is he again? Oh, the latest Secretary of Defense. It's so hard to keep these flunkies straight. Every week there's some new jabroni promoted to acting something or other. By the time he's impeached there probably will have been so many people in cabinet positions that a group photo will have to be taken by a drone hovering at about 500 ft.
But back to Esper's dump truck of dung.
We did everything we could to stop the Turks? Is he serious? This is like a dad explaining to his wife that he really did try to reason with their five year old about setting fire to the cat, but sadly, he was unsuccessful.
Had they gone about like serious adults in positions of responsibility who had taken an oath, and had they not wanted military action to commence, they would have called up Erdogan and said "Dude, you pull the trigger on this and we will wind you up like a Jack in the Box with "Pop goes the weasel" on a loop."
Instead we get "Waaah...we tried. Really. We hope they don't kill too many of our former allies who laid down their lives so Fatty could have a 'win'. Meanwhile, he has to go count the money he made last week from the Turks."
And now everyone wants in on the action, Russia, Iran, and probably Trinidad and Tobago. It's going to be a serious clusterfuck, all because Fatty is a greedy, narcissistic child who knows less about the world outside his hidey hole than most fourth graders on the White House tours. And now, people--our allies!--are being murdered because of him.
And one more thing about this Turkish push to murder Kurds, courtesy of the Orange Menace. Now he’s bleating that anyone who wants to should join the fray. Plenty of victims to go around. “C’mon down!” Then in the next tweety breath sez “Gee, I’m glad we’re not involved in this mess!” as if the US, at his direction, has no agency or responsibility at all.
He fucking started this shit show, now he’s inviting other countries to get involved and make it even worse. But this is classic Fatty. He’s a complete idiot who gets his notions of international diplomacy and military actions from drooling maggots who live in their parents’ basements, spread ridiculous conspiracies, and jerk off to kiddie porn.
Remember when he said that everyone should have nuclear weapons? He’s like a demonic little kid who dreams up wild shit to impress his seven year old friends. He has no concept of responsibility or consequences. “Sure, let’s all have nukes then see what happens!” “Hey gang, pig pile in Syria! Everyone jump on!”
It would be funny, in a retarded sort of way, if he wasn’t the actual cause of international friction, military action, paranoia, death, and distress.
I suspect Gowdy insisted on payments in advance, and that is the end of that business relationship.
New name for the tough-talking Orange Menace: Cadet Cut and Run.
Glad to hear yesterday that all y'all like your herb. However, I feel to need to clarify a few things.
@Ak, I'm unable to complete your order without knowing how many pounds of each you'd like. Will a case of Whoop-Ass suffice? Single- or double-strength?
@Jeanne, The Spice House and Penzey's Spices are two separate entities and they don't necessarily agree. Parents Bill, Sr. and Ruth Ann started the business. Daughter Patty Penzey inherited The Spice House brand. Son Bill, Jr. disagreed with the decision and spun off from the "family" business to start up his own catalog business, Penzey's Spices. That occurred in 1986 when he was 22. He eventually expanded into online and retail sales with numerous stores around the country.
Patty and her husband Tom continued to run The Spice House until 2018, when they sold it to two guys named Dave and Dan. There currently is no Penzey associated with the business.
@MAG, unfortunately the glossy color catalogs were discontinued about 4 years ago. I stopped in a shop in Torrance, CA when I was there for business in 2016. When I asked for a catalog the clerk said that they no longer had them. She did, though, give me their last copy of a hardcover edition that was printed, which I subsequently gave to a colleague. No more hours spent thumbing through the pages, reading the descriptions and recipes submitted by customers. Now, it's online and retail only.
“What Cars Can Teach Us About New Policing Technologies” | by Sarah A. Seo | The New York Review of Books
A *very* long piece, yet one that addresses much of what concerns - and has been posted on - RC (Driving - or merely breathing - While Other, Hong Kong goings-on, etc.).
A much-excerpted attempt at a feel for this thick narrative:
“The goal of a democratic society should not be to stifle technological innovation . . . [yet] . . . we must give special attention to the ways that technology has historically and disproportionately affected political dissidents, minorities, and the poor. The history of policing and the automobile suggests that, in the hands of human actors, technology tends to replicate the kinds of injustice and inequality that already exist in society. This is precisely why the struggle for equality is crucial to safeguard the privacy and civil rights of all . . . “.
https://www.nybooks.com/daily/2019/10/12/what-cars-can-teach-us-about-new-policing-technologies/?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=NYR%20Eastern%20Jesus%20Amazon%20crisis%20psychedelia&utm_content=NYR%20Eastern%20Jesus%20Amazon%20crisis%20psychedelia+CID_d6f95c8fb724432f0f06f8d74be36686&utm_source=Newsletter&utm_term=Cars%20and%20New%20Policing%20Technologies
A more concise “link” to the above tome?
https://www.nybooks.com/daily/2019/10/12/what-cars-can-teach-us-about-new-policing-technologies/
“Suckers” by Randy Rainbow
In order to drag myself out of bed each day - while remaining informed of our ever-darkening World Affairs - I need infusions of Comedy, Parody, Humor, Whatevuh: Antidotes to These tRumpy Times.
(Aiyup - That’s his legal name.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wb219dz_NeA
The situation isn't quite the same, but the sudden withdrawal "in haste" of US forces in Syria brings back to mind two photos from the fall of Saigon. The first of people frantically trying to board helicopters to waiting ships offshore and the second of those choppers being shoved overboard to make room for others to land. Will it come to this? This looks like a cut and run.